The worst United Airlines club lounge is in Austin. It is small, and it is overcrowded. There is just a single window. A legacy Continental Airlines Presidents Club, for a long time it just hasn’t been a priority. United is the number four airline in the city. But finally they have a plan to make things better, and it has to do with the game of musical lounge chairs that will go on at the airport starting next year.
- Austin’s airport is full. For several years it was the fastest or second-fastest growing airport in the country.
- Come the 2030s there will finally be more gates. To get there, there are a number of construction projects underway. For instance, they’re adding 3 gates at the west end of the airport. But that just allows them to remove 3 gates in the terminal as they build a connecting tunnel to the new midfield concourse that they’re building.
- American Airlines will take a lounge that’s part of this West Gate Expansion. That frees us the current American Admirals Club space – which is right next to the United Club.
United intends to expand into American’s vacated club shell once they move west. Discussions about takeover timing began in May 2024. They are also planning a new United Club in the future Concourse B.
The airport sent United a formal survey on March 14, 2025 titled “New United Club at AUS” to capture HVAC, IT and program needs. The new club is unlikely to open before 2031 or 2032 but the interim expansion could be ready in 2027, preserving proximity to United’s current gate set near the center of the main concourse.
The current lounge is tiny. And even with relatively few flights, it’s full. It supports United’s operation and also Air Canada and Lufthansa.
Considering the small size, I am impressed that they offer the full lounge food complement that you’d find in most hubs. It’s not impressive compared to Delta (including Delta’s club in Austin), but more robust than what’s next door at American.
The lounge is ‘o.k.’ I’ve been inside when there was no seating at all. But on a Monday around noon it was fine for finding a seat, some power, and a snack. And of course it’s better to get help during irregular operations from lounge staff than at the gate.
For most purposes it’s just tough to fly United from Austin. They operate to Los Angeles, but so do four other airlines. They operate to Newark, but three other airlines fly to JFK. They fly to Chicago along with three other airlines. Only two other airlines fly to Denver and San Francisco (Southwest also flies to Oakland). The airline doesn’t offer a lot of unique value in the market, besides shuttling passengers to Houston for onward connections – and for flights to Washington Dulles (Southwest serves National once daily, and Allegiant serves Dulles twice a week).
The airline needs more than improved club facilities. They’re improving their product, especially with Starlink (boy wifi on their 737s is still quite bad). They need to improve their schedule, and for that they’ll need gates – but Delta is angling for the bulk of what comes online with the new concourse.
In the meantime, the thing I think I dislike most besides wifi is the boarding process. People line up in group 1 at least 10-20 minutes out. If you’re not a 1K or better it’s six to five and pick ’em whether you’ll get overhead bin space above your seat even as a first class passenger.
The ATL AA Admirals Club go vie for most dark, drab and overcrowded lounge albeit don’t think I’ve ever seen a line to get in.
Agree on United boarding process. IMHO AA has best boarding process then a huge gap to DL (and I’m lifetime Platinum on DL) and finally UA. I don’t consider SW or any ULCCs since they all have issues and don’t have experience with Alaska or JetBlue
Many 1Ks, including me, count the boarding process and, in particular, 1K preboarding as one of the best benefits of the program.
The lounge in Austin is in desperate need of expansion. The staff there are excellent but the space hasn’t changed since the airport opened in 1999.
It is small, but I’ve never had a problem getting a seat, and the food is pretty much the same as any UA lounge. I used to sometimes also visit the AA lounge years ago back when lounge memberships did not require you be flying the airline, and never thought it was any better except when the guac stand was open. I just don’t expect much from a second tier airport like AUS, particularly one so poorly managed by the city for so many years.
@John is correct. UA 1K boarding is way better than at AA where ExPlats board along with half the remainder of the plane(it seems) as Group 1
C’mon United. It’s Gary’s hometown. Ya gotta do better than that. Sheesh!
(Somewhat relatedly, hope everyone in Texas is doing alright after the recent floods. Feel for those impacted. Wish there were better warnings for folks.)
Gary – I’ll be at the AUS UA lounge Thursday on my way to Chicago. Please save me an empty seat.
We’ve been flying in and out since 2000. Never had a problem finding a seat to sit. Live music has always been very entertaining, and we love the small feel of the airport. However, it has grown a lot in the last 10 years and it is changing like everything else..
Once, I saw a drunk get refused service then arrested for getting belligerent in that lounge, while we planned a trip to Singapore, Thailand, et al during a UA delay. Good times
Seattle would like a word. Small United Club (but the people there are friendly), one window also (there were more but airport construction took them), few gates, and a limited schedule. Alaska and Delta dominate here and Delta has been squeezing out United for gate space. Before, I lived in United hubs (SFO and IAD) and was used to a robust schedule and huge clubs.
@carletonm — With statements like “Delta dominate,” I think you may have just made @Tim Dunn’s day. I mean, shoot, you got a rise outta me!
United’s outstations serve one more purpose, which is to provide additional hub to hub service during holidays when the direct flights are full or very expensive. I was in New Orleans just before Christmas one year, and the flight from Houston to New Orleans made an announcement about the gate for connecting Newark passengers.
I’m sure Austin sees the occasional person connecting between United hubs. It’s also valuable to people who trying to make status, but are short of segments, so take indirect paths to boost segment counts. I’m sure these uses are not unique to United.
@Gary Your hate on United is off base. Each of the airlines has its idiosyncrasies and strengths and weaknesses. But the overall United experience is superior to AA in most regards, certainly in aircraft maintenance and on-time reliability and in app and website functions. As to Austin lounge size, that’s more a function of airport real estate available. Is the AA lounge less crowded? I know that when I’ve flown AA out of Austin my flights are regularly delayed because the assigned gate is still occupied by the previous flight which hasn’t left while the aircraft for my flight is on the ground but can’t get a gate.